A blaze near the National Archives in London caused "significant damage" to two water towers close to the area, London Fire Brigade said in a statement.

The rescue service added:

Crews tackled the blaze, which was affecting two disused water towers, and brought the fire under control quickly. No injuries were reported. The fire caused significant damage to the water towers and smoke could be seen from the surrounding area.

Around 20 firefighters are tackling a blaze close to the National Archives. London Fire Brigade said two disused water towers which were in the process of being decommissioned caught fire in Kew, south west London, at about 12.30pm.

Oliver Miles said he thought Libya's warning of possible violence was an attempt to stop a rally outside the People's Bureau in London.

The former British ambassador in Tripoli has told ITV News he took a threat of violence on the eve of the shooting of WPc Yvonne Fletcher "seriously" after it was revealed he bet a Libyan diplomat that nothing would happen.

Oliver Miles was summoned to the Libyan foreign ministry shortly after midnight on April 17 1984 to receive a warning of possible violence if a planned demonstration by opponents of Colonel Gaddafi went ahead that day outside the Libyan People's Bureau in London.

Mr Miles filed a telegram to the Foreign Office (FCO) reporting the warning, one of a number of documents released under the 30-year rule by the National Archives.

Other papers show two officials from the People's Bureau also telephoned the FCO to express concern about the demonstration the next day.

"I did take it seriously and that's why I reported it to London," Mr Miles told ITV News. "I didn't know, of course, that there was going to be a shooting. I thought they were simply trying to have the demonstration stopped."

Government papers from 1984, released by the National Archives, show ministers were so concerned at the outbreak of a national docks strike while the miners were still out, they considered declaring a state of emergency.

Plans were drawn up for thousands of service personnel to commandeer trucks to move vital supplies of food and coal around the country.

It is thought to be the closest Mrs Thatcher came to defeat in her battle with the miners but the scheme was never implements after the dockers' action petered out after less than two weeks.